HOW TO SLEEP WARM OUTDOORS.

King Country Chronicle, Volume VII, Issue 574, 7 June 1913, Page 3

HOW TO SLEEP WARM OUTDOORS.

From the Outing Magazine. It is very popular with the Feniore-Cooper-Leather-Stocking school of writers to have the one Indian, when night overtakes him, light his camp fire, wrap himself in his one blanket, and bid defiance to the cold. All of which is very romantic, makes excellent reading, but is several points off the truth. If some unfortunate mortal with a single blanket should attempt the stunt he would either freeze before morning, or else [get up and sit before his camp fire. With all due respect to the aforementioned school of writers, the Indian doesn't do it that way. He carries but one blanket, it is true, and with that one manages to keep comfortable no matter how the night behaves. At least I have spent some years with the red man, and never saw him wrap himself in his blanket. How he manages may be of sufficient interest to the sporting fraternity to merit description. Should any of the brethren be so circumstanced as to be compelled to spend the night with a minimum of covering it may be worth while to know how to keep warm even with the thermometer hovering around zero. On my side trips into the mountains carry only a single Government, with occasionally a rubber poncho. The Indians resort to two methods to keep warm, dependng upon the condition of the weather. If it is not unduly cold he lights a rather large fire, warms the earth, rakes away the coals, lies down upon the bare ground and pull his blanket over him. If the cold is extreme the Indian in addition to the above heats a large boulder, and when bedtime arrives, rolls it upon the ground and covers it lightly with earth, and "curls himself around the mound and pulls his covering over him. You Will note that he does not wrap himself in the blanket, nor does he place any portion of it beneath him. He does, however, lie with his feet to the fire. If Fate should deprive vou of other covering than your coat., do not attempt to sleep with that upon your bsck. Remove it, heat a stone as 1 have suggested, lie down and pull the coat over your shoulders, covering* the stone at the same time. By following the above suggestions you may sleep comfortably in almost any weather. If there is snow on the ground you will be obliged to remove it and dry the ground thoroughly With your fire. Do not attempt to sleep on the snow unless you have plenty of covering. It is not a success.